Ring Handled Bottle

As the Khmer influence in Thailand waned in the 1200s, new centers of ceramic production developed under the patronage of independent Thai kingdoms. However, the rich source of clay and sought-after chocolate-bronze glaze remained the same. Some forms, as seen in this well-proportioned globular vessel from the kilns at Sawankhalok, took on a bolder, more minimalist presence. The ceramists at Sawankhalok also produced wares for export, particularly to Java and the Philippines; there, 40 percent of excavated ceramics made in c. 1400s–1600s came from Thailand.